resting in hammock

Sabbath as Resistance: Putting God First

In Daily Devotional by Ken Shigematsu

Theme of the Week: Vacation Without Guilt

Bible Verse: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.” Exodus 20:8-10

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:1-11

According to Scripture, anything we turn to for our primary source of meaning and validation apart from God is an idol. The god of work is a hard taskmaster, refusing to let us stop or slow down, running us ragged with little return benefit. Yet God has long had an alternative, a means of setting us free from the god of work.

This fourth commandment, the Sabbath decree, follows the commandments to put God first, before any other idols, and to revere his name. It is the only commandment where the word “holy” is used explicitly. One of the most powerful antidotes for our tendency to make an idol of our work and productivity is to honor the Sabbath by setting it apart as a holy day of rest.

This may sound simple enough, but when was the last time you took twenty-four hours away from work or anything related to work? When was the last time you unplugged yourself from your laptop, email, social media, or smartphone for a day? We often feel we can’t stop working because we are so busy, and we are afraid of falling behind.

Even in our competitive economy, it is possible to trust God by honoring the Sabbath and still succeed financially. B&H Photo in Manhattan is the largest non-chain photo and video equipment store in the United States and the second-largest in the world. Yet even though this industry is intensely competitive, B&H does not conduct business on the Sabbath.

Recently, a customer asked the B&H director of communications how they could close both the retail store and the website on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the busiest shopping day of the year. The director replied, “We respond to a higher authority.”

Taken from Survival Guide for the Soul by Ken Shigematsu. Copyright ©2018 by Ken Shigematsu. Used by permission of Zondervan.


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About
Ken Shigematsu
Ken Shigematsu is the Senior Pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC. He also serves as a trustee for World Vision Canada, and is the recipient of Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is the author of God in My Everything and Survival Guide for the Soul.
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Ken Shigematsu
Ken Shigematsu is the Senior Pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC. He also serves as a trustee for World Vision Canada, and is the recipient of Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is the author of God in My Everything and Survival Guide for the Soul.